


Dysfunctional

by arialsal



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, Happy Ending, Kissing, M/M, Panic Attack, Protective Ruby, Sapphire - Freeform, Steven Universe AU, its that much angst, klance, klangst, like you know when there are only one out of three peppers on a menu for spiceness, not really angsty its like mild angst, su au, this is inspired by eliviras-teckningar's su au its so friggin cute, this was supposed to be innocent but it turned out just a touch angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 03:43:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10845786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arialsal/pseuds/arialsal
Summary: “Is that why you let me take over for so long?” Keith asked, breath still uneven. “You were. . . in too much pain?"Lance didn’t feel the need to respond to that. Instead, his serene gaze met their joined hands and he raised them up between their chests. He could already feel the growing urge from his partner to fuse again, but he knew they needed some more time. His lips found the back of Keith’s hand and he held them there for what didn’t feel like long enough to either of them.“I’m fine now, ya' hothead,” he nearly whispered, “we’re fine now.”orKeith accidentally causes he and Lance to unfuse mid-fight because of a mentally and physically painful flashback from his beloved Sapphire.





	Dysfunctional

**Author's Note:**

> ill be honest i couldnt think of a good title? lol  
> this is for[elvira](http://elviras-teckningar.tumblr.com) who made a really nice voltron su au on their tumblr so please check it out! they have a bunch of wicked comics about it they're adorable and sometimes angsty and ugh <3

He found Keith perched on a jagged rock, his one dangling leg barely being caressed by the ungentle waves crashing against the bottom of his solid throne. Lance’s eyes softened at the tone of his love’s harsh red skin against the faded grey-sky background.

“Keith,” he called, but couldn’t catch his attention. “Keith!” he hollered again, and realized he was being ignored. 

With an indignant huff, the Sapphire trudged rather ungracefully to the rock, placing his hand on the side of it. Crystal blue ice surrounded his hand on the boulder and expanded up, up, forming small bumps and divots to the nearly pointed top. Lance climbed the makeshift ladder.

“I said I wanted to be alone,” the Ruby mumbled. Rather than responding right away, Lance placed himself comfortably on an extended ledge on the rock made from ice. 

“Isn’t that what caused the problem?” he said finally, a hint of humor to his tone, but then immediately regretted it. “I’m sorry, you–,”

“I didn’t mean to break our fusion,” Keith blurted, and Lance was perturbed by how quivered his voice had gotten in just seconds. “I just – I wasn’t thinking about it, I– she came at us, and I remembered that fight with Jasper on the beach, and when we–”

“I know what happened,” Lance interrupted and realized their conversation had just been bouts of unfinished sentences. He reached out, but Keith jerked away from the offer. He knew he shouldn’t have felt offended, but couldn’t help the small jut in his stomach when the Ruby rejected his touch. “I knew there were more possibilities of us defeating that corrupted gem than becoming unfused again, Keith. You knew that, you could see it with me.”

“That’s all they are, Lance!” he suddenly stood, a black scorch mark left where he sat, jumping off the rock and landing in the shallow water below with a heavy smack. “Possibilities!”

Lance was hot (or rather, _cool_ ) on his trail. He followed Keith down the beach, already knowing he hadn’t an idea of where he was headed. “Keith, I understand what you must be feeling! I had the same flashback when she charged us!”

At this, Keith whipped around, grounding a small hole into the sand with his pivotal foot. Lance nearly tumbled backward stopping himself from crashing into the other gem.

“You don’t!” Keith yelled, “you don’t understand! Everything was fine until you had that flashback! Your mind is–is–, it’s just a lot more complicated than mine. I could feel everything you were remembering! I didn’t know that when Jasper split us, that you felt. . .” he trailed, hands gesturing uncertainly until they landed in his hair, holding tight bundles of it. Hot tears poured down his flame red cheeks and his chest heaved. A divot formed in Keith’s forehead where the gem in his palm pressed against it. He pushed against his head harder, knowing he could make it crack if he tried. His vision grew spotted and the Ruby was suddenly extremely aware of his strangled breaths falling in sync with his racing heartbeat. 

The panic attacks didn’t usually get this bad, Lance acknowledged. The only other time he could sense such a strong mental battle from his lover was when they were held prisoner on Peridot’s ship and separated for what felt like millennial. 

Despite the worry rising in his own chest, Lance took a deep breath, turning his palms to face the sky. A small frost formed in his hands and he quickly wrapped them around Keith’s wrists. The contact sizzled, steam whisking into the air from between their skin. His eyes finally refocused, and Keith looked at Lance, lowering his grip on his head.

“Everything,” Lance concluded. “I felt everything.” His grasp had shifted from Keith’s wrists to interlace with his fingers at some point. The squeeze he gave his hands was reassuring, but felt bittersweet to Keith; he couldn’t forgive himself for never knowing the pain his Sapphire felt that day.

“Is that why you let me take over for so long?” Keith asked, breath still uneven. “You were. . . in too much pain?”

Lance didn’t feel the need to respond to that. Instead, his serene gaze met their joined hands and he raised them up between their chests. He could already feel the growing urge from his partner to fuse again, but he knew they needed some more time. His lips found the back of Keith’s hand and he held them there for what didn’t feel like long enough to either of them.

“I’m fine now, ya' hothead,” he nearly whispered, “we’re fine now.”

His voice was only just loud enough to be heard over the constant whoosh of the waves. A storm was coming from the other side of the ocean, but Keith felt like it had already arrived. His stare never left Lance’s face, his eyes, his lips. 

“I know my pain hurts you just as much as it hurts me, and I hate that, but there’s nothing I can do to change it,” he paused to indulge in the distraught gems eye contact, “just like there’s nothing you could have done to help me on that day.”

“I just wish you told me, I would have comforted you. . .” Keith’s words faltered again and he registered that at some point their chests were pressed together, hands disconnected in favor of holding each other’s waists in a tender embrace.

“I should have, and I’m sorry for that,” he responded with a sincerely apologetic smile. Keith couldn’t see it, though, because his head had already lowered to rest on Lance’s shoulder. He expelled a deep sigh, and Lance returned one, and they were calm. They both allowed the serenity of each other's company to wrap around them, and only they were in that moment.

Though, being Crystal Gems, not every situation is perfect. Keith’s eyes dilated, jerking up abruptly but not dropping his hold on Lance. “Oh, God! When I ran off, no one got hurt did they?! I totally jeopardized the fight! I can’t believe I just abandoned you guys like that! I’m so–”

Lance was already shushing him, quick to move his hands to either side of Keith’s face, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks again, now more from frustration and panic than anger. 

“Everyone’s fine. Allura and Shiro had the corrupted gem under control long before it could have reached us. You sort of blacked out before we unfused and didn’t see them poof her.”

Keith’s eyes jarred left to right, almost as though looking for something else to fret over, but Lance already knew the remedy to his guilt; their lips met softly and shortly. 

When he pulled away, Keith had relaxed his stare, now focused entirely on the gem in his arms. “We’re all fine, you didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have put that guilt on you when I flashed back, I should have known you would feel that pain. I’m sorry.”

The Ruby looked bewildered at that. “ _You’re_ sorry?! You didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Maybe not, but I didn’t realize the pain I caused you in the moment.” Lance explained with an easy smile, and Keith was put in a box. When he realized Lance had been in crippling pain back when Jasper poofed them, he felt the same extreme guilt Lance currently felt for making him realize that. It was a wonderful, balanced cycle of pain and guilt.

“What a dysfunctional situation,” Keith mused, shaking his head with a bittersweet grin.

“It’s over now,” Lance reiterated, and their eyes met again. The smile he wore now was warm and comforting, so it’s understandable when Keith immediately had to kiss it. Their embrace held that way for a few moments after that, nothing but gentle exchanges of smiles and kisses and moans and giggles. The perfect warmth surrounding them created a shield from the cool breeze that had gotten stronger as the storm approached. 

Once they finally separated, Keith bared a large, pure toothy-grin. His relief radiated, all senses of guilt pushed down for another time, because this moment was theirs. Rain began to fall.

“My Sapphire,” he said.

“My Ruby,” returned his lover.

**Author's Note:**

> please follow me on tumblr if you like my stuff ;) [arialsal](http://arialsal.tumblr.com)  
> every comment (including constructive criticism) is appreciated!


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